A Pastor's Thoughts by Mike Trimble

Posts from November 2013

November 30, 2013

“Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails.” (Psalm 111:3, NLT)

All around us are reminders of God's glory and majesty! "Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty". If we are not careful, it's easy to miss these reminders. We hurry from one place to the next, staying too busy to notice 'anything' He does, let alone 'everything' He does. This past week, while out making visits, I noticed the amazing color of these leaves and had to stop and snap a few photos. As I gazed at them through the lens of my camera, I spoke to the Lord, "Thank you God! I needed this reminder today.". It had been one of those days; I had spent most of the day ministering to hurting people, and I was feeling pretty drained. I packed my gear up and left, feeling completey refreshed, knowing that God was going to be glorified in the lives of those I had ministered to that day.

We are often too busy mourning the passing of one season to recognize the beauty of the new season. Too busy mourning what once was, to praise The Lord for what is.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, ESV)

Summer is past, fall is coming to a close, soon it will be winter, and then spring will explode all around you with new and amazing beauty. Take some time to see the glory and majesty of God all around you today.

November 28, 2013

Serving the Lord should be a joy! Unfortunately, we're pretty good about complicating things and making even the most joyous things in life a burden. You can't do this or that, or you must do this or that. Really? Sometimes we need to re-evaluate the things we're doing. Are they burdensome? Are they truly "His commandments" or have we fallen into the trap of living up to others' expectations?

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3, ESV)

November 26, 2013

November 22, 2013

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Luke 18:10–13, ESV)

Thanksgiving is a great time for us to reflect on the many blessings God has bestowed upon us. In my quiet time this morning, I read the story of the Pharisee and tax collector going up into the temple to pray. They both were thankful, but they were thankful for different reasons.

The Pharisee was thankful for all that he was, compared to others, and for all that he did for God.

The tax collector was thankful for mercy. He simply cried out for mercy; he understood that he was nothing without God, and that God's work was far greater than his own.

I am so thankful for God, who is rich in mercy and love.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us...” (Ephesians 2:4, ESV)